Teen girl strangled, murdered and set on fire believed to be ‘random' act

The family of an abducted teenager whose body was found burned called for justice while speaking for the first time about her death. The familial of Dominique Allen, 15, spoke out today about the crime, saying "she did not deserve this.

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On Sept. 2, the family of 15-year-old Dominique Allen provided authorities with a picture of Dominique taken on the last day she was alive. The photograph shows a beautiful, smiling teen from Indianapolis, Indiana, who wanted to go to college in Atlanta and become a model. Tragically, the sandals worn by the young girl in the picture were found about a block away from where Dominique’s lifeless body was discovered over Labor Day weekend, according to Yahoo! News.

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Police in Indianapolis said at a press conference yesterday, that they believe Dominique was kidnapped in the early morning hours of Aug. 31 outside of her sister’s home. Police went on to say that her abductor or abductors drove her to an abandoned house about three miles away and strangled her. Whoever murdered Allen then dumped her body in a nearby back yard and then set her body on fire, according to Fox News.

Allen’s sandals and purse were found outside another abandoned house next to the house where police believe she was murdered. Later in the day on Sunday, “a man walking his dog found Allen's body in his backyard on the city's northwest side,” according to police. Yesterday, the medical examiner ruled Allen’s death a homicide from asphyxiation.

Police don’t think Allen was specifically targeted, but that her abduction and brutal murder were completely random. Police think she was most likely killed by someone she didn't even know.

"At this time, we believe it was random," Indianapolis Metro Police Detective Marcus Kennedy said, adding that Dominique Allen was dead before her body was burned.

Detectives are combing registered sex offenders for possible leads and checking for reported runaways in case there are other victims.

A memorial comprised of a homemade wooden cross, flowers and stuffed animals in honor of the murdered teen arose around the scorched earth where Allen’s body was found. It was at that memorial site where one of Allen’s sisters, Shenika Poindexter, “issued a stern warning to whoever was responsible,” for her sister’s vicious murder.

"I don't know why you had to do this. Whatever you do, wherever you go, justice is going to be served, in this life or the next. I don't care, they will hunt you until you die. ... She did not deserve this, she did not deserve this, she was 15 years old," Poindexter said between tears.

Allen’s father, Louis Allen, recently lost his wife and had retired from his job to be able to take care of his daughter. He said the last time he saw Dominique was the Friday night before she was abducted, after she had gotten out of school for the day. Grief counselors were brought into Dominique’s school to help students and school staff cope with the tragic loss. For more on the story, see the video accompanying this article.

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